©UNICEF Uganda/2023/Abdul
Kaze Hijirat, 20 years old
Leaving behind my home, my culture, my friends, family and everything familiar to me has had a great impact on my mental health. As a refugee, I face many challenges having to learn a new language, find my place in a new country, make new friends, and adapt to being called a refugee. It is basically starting life afresh and sometimes; it makes me anxious and depressed. I overthink a lot. Journaling and reflecting on my life help to calm my nerves. In my little journal, I write about the good and the bad things happening to me and how I want to see my life change. I also speak to friends and family, and this calms me down. Mental health issues affect a lot of young people like me and sometimes they do not reach out for help. This mental health day, I urge everyone especially parents and leaders to always reach out to young people because we need help and at times find it difficult to reach out to you.
©UNICEF Uganda/2023/Abdul
Amani Israel, 11 years
Sometimes, other children disturb me a lot in school, and it makes me very angry and sad. So, I draw to make the bad feelings go away. Whenever I draw, I feel at peace, I feel happy, I feel like the superheroes I draw. Drawing is my superpower. I would like parents and teachers to watch over children and to make sure they are not teasing others. That way, we can all be happy and play together.
©UNICEF Uganda/2023/Abdul
Wafula Victoria 24, U-Reporter Uganda
I can easily identify when my mental health is going down because I procrastinate a lot and find it difficult to complete simple tasks that I would normally do. Music and listening to podcasts on well-being help me a lot. Taking long walks and talking to friends help me to clear my mind and reduces the burden on the issues taking a toll on me. I also use the U-Report mental health chatbot for myself and to help other young people get the support that they need with regards to their mental health. I would like to urge the government and other stakeholders to allocate more resources such as assigning trained counselors or mental health therapists to schools and training religious leaders on mental health. A lot of times people seek help from religious leaders who counsel them based on religion but sometimes we need the help of a trained therapist in addition to counseling based on our faith and beliefs. It would be great to have literature on mental health in our local languages to help the local communities to not only be able to identify and understand mental health, but also to know when to seek help.
©UNICEF Uganda/2023/Abdul
Hermon Asmeron 17, Climate Change Activist
I know that my mental health needs attention when I feel stressed about something. I become nervous and anxious and look for ways to feel better. I find tranquility in nature. The colour of the trees, the chirping of the birds, the beauty of flowers and the sky help me to calm down. This is why I am passionate about the climate and protecting our environment. A large percentage of the population in Uganda are young people and so many of us are going through mental health challenges. As we prepare to become leaders, we need a generation that is mentally sound, and this can be achieved if more investment is made into supporting youth programmes by including mental health support. We need support and care from the people around us.
©UNICEF Uganda/2023/Abdul
Esianaedeke Abednego, 10 years
Mental health to me is what happens in my head and my body--- how do I feel? Am I sad or happy? Whenever I feel sad, I read books and play chess because it makes me calm. I made this chess board which I use with my friend. The challenge that comes with playing chess makes me forget all the things that make me sad. Whenever my friends are sad, I tell them to sleep or read a book or play chess with me. I would like schools to have more story books in the library and the government to support schools with toys and games. All these can help children feel better when they are stressed.
©UNICEF Uganda/2023/Abdul
Ashahiid Juma, 22
I paint a lot, when I am sad, when I am happy, when I want to inspire others or when I want to advocate for certain issues in my community. From small paintings to big murals, I paint alone and with friends. My paintings tell my stories for example when I am depressed or when I am happy, and I use them to teach others about mental health. Painting brings young people together and it helps us to discuss issues affecting us but most importantly, to normalize conversations around mental health in our community. Adolescents and young people should be encouraged to talk about their mental health but also, they should have resources to support them and platforms where they can express themselves.
Atuhaire Gladys, 13 years
Whenever I feel down or sad, I skip rope because it makes me feel free and happy. It helps me forget about the things that make me sad. I enjoy skipping rope with my friends even more because I get to laugh with them. On mental health day, I would like to ask the government to give schools more play materials because when we play, we forget about the things that make us sad.
©UNICEF Uganda/2023/Abdul
Kabira Rita Peace, Teacher
The Adolescent Life Skills toolkit gives me the knowledge as
a teacher to know how to support stressed adolescents. Through different activities and games, I
support children and adolescents to manage stress and emotions. My students
have learnt critical 21st century skills through the lifeskills
programme that helps them to identify challenges, communicate, develop problem
solving skills and managing conflicts which is helping them to informed choices
and decisions. They have become confident to seek help or speak about issues
affecting them. Together we find ways of coping. This goes a long way in
helping children deal with stress and other mental health issues. It will be
great to see more teachers trained in the lifeskills programme because we shall
be able to help and nurture more adolescents and young people to grow into
healthy adults.
©UNICEF Uganda/2023/Abdul
Fred Muzira, Call Centre Counselor
